Love potion number 10 (otherwise known as Lemon Meringue Pie recipe)

For all those who asked for the recipe for the yummy Mini Lemon Meringue Pies my mum made for our lunch last Sunday, here it is...

And for those who are looking to woo someone on valentines day, I would highly recommend baking some of these and giving them instead of roses. They are guaranteed to make anyone who eats them fall in love with you !!!!!!!

Sorry, just realised this sounds a little wrong after mentioning that my mum made them....but just pretend you didn't know that. They really are THAT good!!!

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LEMON CURD

4 egg yolks
3/4 cup caster sugar
100ml lemon joice
80g butter
zest of 1 lemon
1 vanilla pod


Add the egg yolks, caster sugar and lemon zest to a bowl and start to beat. Scrape the vanilla pod into the mix, and keep beating until light and fluffy.
Put into saucepan with the lemon zest and butter and stir over medium heat until it coats the back of the spoon (this is usually when it is just starting to boil).
Allow to cool.

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MERINGUE
4 egg whites
1 cup caster sugar
pinch of salt
2tbsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla essence

Beat the egg whites with the salt until they stiffen and start to form peaks.
Slowly add the caster sugar and beat until it is all dissolved. The meringue mixture will become smooth and thick.
Fold in the cornflour and vanilla essence.

Note: this makes a lot of meringue (more than you'll need for the tarts) but it's worth making the whole batch as you have all the whites left over from the lemon curd anyway, so you can just make a mini pavalova out of it or something (my son loves 'wiggly worms' - just swirl the mixture into a wormy looking log, then add two smarties for eyes on the end!).

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MERINGUE PIE SHELLS

You can use either pre-made pastry shells bought from the supermarket, or use store-bought (or homemade) shortcrust pastry, added to a tartlet tray/tin thingy (like muffin tins but shallow and rounded) and baked until brown and crisp. If baking the shells, don't forget to prick them a lot to stop them from puffing up.

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MINI LEMON MERINGUE PIES

Add a spoonful of lemon curd to the pie shells, then top with a big dollop of meringue mixture.
Bake in a moderate oven (about 180 degrees celsius) until the meringue is browned.

Put on a saucy apron and serve to those you fancy!

(or if you're me, scoff as many as you can before your husband comes home so you don't have to share them!)

Enjoy!